A friend told me once that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. Breaking habits suck but making new ones is entirely possible. The past several years with a busier life, a husband and kids, I have formed several new good habits without really realizing it. I know this because there are many things I do now that I’ve never done before and I’m completely committed to them. Meaning, I can’t not do them because I just don’t ‘feel’ right if I don’t. The biggest one for me is has been healthy eating, especially when it comes to feeding my family. When I was taking care of just myself, I used to skip a meal or maybe just eat chips and salsa for dinner but having gotten into the habit of preparing meals for my growing family, omitting protein or a vegetable just doesn’t happen. I just can’t skip it. Even if I’m crushed for time, it’s become ingrained and it feels wrong. Just like getting into the habit of brushing teeth or washing my face which started from my early years, if I don’t do these things now, I feel totally gross! If you do anything enough, you get used to it and it becomes routine, normal, expected. Some new habits for me include applying lotion, removing toenail polish so my poor feet can breathe, juicing, filling the bird feeder, keeping fresh flowers in the house, my 5 minute instagramming, prepping the coffee maker the night before…all of these things I’ve incorporated into my day, consciously or sub-consciously, they’ve stuck and I am the better for them.

I don’t believe it’s guilt (I was raised Catholic), that has made these habits stick, I think it’s just that I’ve repeated the motions over and over enough that the routines have stuck. It feels like something is missing or forgotten when certain tasks (?) are not completed. As for breaking habits, I’m at a loss. I consume a lot of chocolate and every so often I convince myself I need to slow it down, that never happens but it’s not like I’m smoking crack or anything….it’s totally justifiable;). So, if there’s something in your life or the life of someone you love, go, do it, preach it…again and again…chances are, it just may stick.